This invention relates to the sterile packaging of components useful in certain medical and surgical operative procedures and more particularly to pre-sterilized packs containing pre-sterilized medical and surgical items needed to perform medical and surgical procedures in connection with the sterile recovery of bone and connective tissue.
While the concept of the present invention is applicable to the prepackaging of any medical and/or surgical items required for any routine medical and/or surgical procedure, the packages provided by the present invention are particularly suited for procedures employed in the recovery of muscular skeletal tissue from human cadavers for the purpose of subsequent transplant. Generally, such procedures involve the steps of preparing the donor involving, inter alia, scrubbing of and removal of all body hair from the donor, followed by sterile draping of the donor and the surgical removal of bone and connective tissue. Finally, removed skeletal tissue is sterilely packaged for transport and storage.
Each of the aforedescribed steps requires the utilization of certain items to carry out the particular procedure. In the past, a surgeon and/or technician or other member of the procurement team performing or assisting at the procedure has not had ready access to all of the items required to carry out the process involved. Such inaccessibility generally makes performing the procedure, particularly under the required sterile conditions, difficult, if not impossible.